27/11/2013

"Culture & Power"

Theme of the 2013 Think Tank of the Forum of Avignon,to fuel discussion at the international meetings from November 21 to 23, 2013

NoPolitics without Culture!

The program of the 2013 Forum d'Avignon in preview

Olivier Poivre d'Arvor(Director of France Culture) sets the parameters
of the session centered aroun three questions: Can the powers of culture
be measured? In the name of what endeavor? Economic, diplomatic,
political? If culture is a factor of cohesion of certain territories, it
is the cause of divisions, competition, and conflicts on others. Does
high demand of cultural goods and services dissolve culture? What are
the new divisions formed in the cultural sector for better or for worse?

Lawrence Lessig --Harvard Law Professor (USA) --has been an advocate
for an internet that liberates culture through "creative commons".
Lessig emphasizes the value for universal access to culture. If Internet
remains a vehicle for freedom as exhibited by the Arab Spring, Lessig
also notes de difficulty in the short term to define its impact on
democracy. He uses the American example in which politicians use up to
70% of their time searching for funding in their internet campaign.
Internet has taken precedents on interpersonal communication; that being
said, in order to be heard one must radicalize one's opinions, often
leading to excessive opinions. This explains, for example, the Tea
Party's success and the subsequent paralysis of American politics. Can
Internet save us? The answer is not evident in the short term given the
negative side effects of extremist attitudes on democracies. We might
have to rely on a new generation to extricate ourselves from this
stifling position.

Jean-Michel Jarre, author and composer,
President of CISAC. Jarre recognizes that with regard to intellectual
property, artist weren't unable to send a clear message to the public.
IP is not only a means of insuring the economic sustainability of
creation. A new relationship between contents and containers, software
and hardware, must be reinvented. The antagonisms between creative
commons and intellectual property might be erased with the establishment
of a common platform allowing funding for creators and the diffusion of
amateurs' work. The freedom of the latter does not impede on the
liberty of the former. We must update the system established in the
xviiith century to adapt to contemporary conditions of production and
diffusion. We must not stigmatize Internet. Artist have always known how
to use this new technologies. Jarre even goes so far as to propose an
'eternal copyright' system that would nourish a fund for creation in
emerging countries.

Paul Mashatile, minister of South Africa,
reminds us that culture has an essential role in the development of
numerous countries. In the case of South Africa, culture facilitates
reconciliation and the construction of a nation. Culture must also bring
nations together. This is what South Africa names OBOUTU: I exist
because you exist, allow me to extend my hand to the other, to accept
the difference. Culture is the bridge between men.

Yonfan, film
director (China), through the destiny of two female artists --the German
filmmaker Leni Riefensthahl and the Chinese actress Yushi Yamagichi
(Yoshigo Otaka) --questions how art can influence our lives in some
unconscious ways. The star system creates representations that inhabit
ourselves for better or for worse.

Bernard Landry (former Prime
Minister, University of Quebec and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Professor), notes that anti-globalization manifestations, replaced
nowadays by alter-globalist ones, show us a different vision of the
world. The real danger of globalization is the homogenization that would
be a huge step backward. The first value of a country is not its
economy but its culture that sacrifices the materialist obsessions in
order to admire the reality's beauty. Proposed by Canada, the cultural
exception that refuses to see culture as a mere merchandise, remains to
be defended; the idea is in the works but must be constantly nourished.

There were many echoes in the room: "defending the cultural exception
is not out of date" (Laure Darcos). We should not forget that in many
countries some religious powers twist the words to impose a religious
culture. In Tunisia, creators and women will avoid democratic
regressions. Although, money that a worldwide crowd funding may bring,
are needed.

25/11/2013

In January 2013 DISQUES DREYFUS, veteran and legendary French label
founded on the effort and artistic flair of its promoter FRANCIS DREYFUS
(1940-2010), ceased to exist as an independent entity and was going to
be part of the giant BMG. Inevitably the future of plump nude woman
illustrating the characteristic company logo appears indistinct and its
extensive catalog of recordings artists, among them names like
CHRISTOPHE, FRANÇOIS DE ROUBAIX, BLUE VAMP, BAHAMAS or JEAN MICHEL JARRE
, abandoned the possibility of a hypothetical republication or
forgotten, in the worst case.

With the death of Francis Dreyfus, producer in mid-2010 because of
cancer, few people can relate with great detail and based on
comprehensive information that was “the adventure Motors”, the seed of
FRANCIS DREYFUS MUSIC and its label DREYFUS JAZZ, the rise and demise of
the company that allowed JEAN MICHEL JARRE to be a star. One of those
few people is Danièle Feuillerat, for more than 30 years publishing director of FRANCIS DREYFUS MUSIC (FDM), plus production assistant in shows like ” Rendez -Vous Houston” or the intriguing concert tour in China 1981. She met a young JARRE as a lyricist, he witnessed his departure from the maison after publication ” Metamorphoses ” and return to ” Essentials & Rarities”.

Daniele has agreed to collaborate closely with FAIRLIGHT JARRE with a
project that began more than a year ago, lending itself to review
carefully the history of JEAN MICHEL JARRE and DISQUES DREYFUS, that is,
in a sense, our own story.

For all JARRE’s fans,
and for lovers of music in general, the announce of the purchase
of DISQUES DREYFUS by BMG Group was a hard impact. DREYFUS label means
the success of a romantic project that grew to become a global reference
thanks to the richness of its catalog and its great work in the world
of jazz. When did you know the intention of selling DISQUES DREYFUS?
What was the reason for the sale?

When Francis died his wife, Hélène, was
named new President and she decided to keep the company running for a
little while. Early 2011, the shareholders decided to sell the company
in order to pay the inheritance taxes (very high in France). We almost
made a deal with Universal by the end of 2011 but they had to withdraw
their offer because of the Virgin-Capitol-Emi purchase. The second best
offer was that of BMG Rights. The sale was finally concluded on May 25,
2012.

Did FRANCIS DREYFUS ever intend to sell the record label?

Maybe 4 or 5 years before he died,
Francis had mentioned several times that in the future he might decide
to sell the label and keep the publishing. But in fact it was always
postponed to later days.

Thanks very much again to
Daniéle for her involvement in this interview that lasted three months
of work. She is answering more questions on the coments below the
spanish version of the interview. Click here to make some questions to her.

22/11/2013

His outdoor lighting and sound extravaganzas have attracted audiences of millions.

When he performed for Prince Albert of Monaco's wedding last year, 3.5 billion people watched on television and the internet.

But Jean Michel Jarre, the famed French composer, performer and music producer, says Perth is his "final frontier".

"I've been a big fan of Australia for a long time," he said yesterday during a whirlwind visit to Perth.

"I
fell in love with the place, the environment. It's extraordinary. But
the community also, it's very nice and warm people. I said to myself we
should really promote this place to the world."

Introduced to
Perth by Maryanne Bell, a local entrepreneur and founder of ITM
Productions, the 63-year-old pioneer of electronic music is working to
bring his big outdoor concert to Perth in March after an initial
November date was ruled too ambitious.

With the concert billed to
rival the Australia Day Skyworks, Jarre said he also wanted to leave a
legacy, including through the global TV audience his concert would
attract.

A painter and a keen collector of Aboriginal art, he
envisaged it would be a key visual element of the show. And the
long-time UNESCO ambassador said he also wanted to incorporate
schoolchildren's artwork in the graphics.

"As an outsider and a
friend of Australia and a big admirer of Western Australia, I think it's
time to put this part of the world . . . on the map," he said.

The Perth concert would be his first in Australia. Jarre's 1976 album Oxygene featured in the 1981 Australian film Gallipoli.

He also spent a month at Uluru in the 1980s while promoting the album Zoolook, which was influenced by Aboriginal music.

In
a week spent working Perth corporate and government circles to shore up
backing for the March event, Jarre said he was also excited about his
new role, announced yesterday, as one of two new international
ambassadors for the Perth Fashion Festival.

Paris, Tuesday 19 November 2013 – Jean Michel Jarre
will top-line Midem Talks 2014, joining key music industry players as
they tackle this year’s main theme: “Back to Growth? Make it
Sustainable!”

A pioneer of
electronic music, Jarre has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide
in a career spanning four decades, and has staged many superlative live
performances against iconic backdrops such as the Eiffel Tower and the
pyramids of Egypt. He recently took over as President of the
International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers
(CISAC), the leading worldwide network of authors’ royalty collection
societies.

Entitled “Fair
Share for Creators,” Jarre’s interview is scheduled for Monday 3
February. He will tell the Midem audience how he believes a sustainable
future for music in the digital eco-system cannot be achieved without
ensuring fair remuneration for all stakeholders, especially creators,
and why the latter need to mobilise if they want to benefit from the
growth of the digital economy.

“We’re
thrilled to welcome Jean Michel Jarre as part of our stellar line-up of
keynote speakers at Midem. We’re living at the tipping-point of a new
growth era for music. Let’s embrace optimism and work together to ensure
our industry's recovery expands to every market, from emerging ones to
more mature economies,” said Bruno Crolot, Director of Midem. “Midem is
here to support the industry and to help make growth sustainable by
providing a complete toolkit for success.”

Figures
— soon to be released by the CISAC at its press conference at Midem
2014 — show an increase in growth for global collections of author's
royalties in music in 2012, compared to the prior year period. In
addition, recent figures from the International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry (IFPI) showed the first year of growth after over a
decade of steep decline. All these figures suggest that the music
business is on the road to recovery, with digital download sales and
streaming subscriptions growing rapidly.

To explore what these green shoots mean for the industry, the line-up of Midem speakers includes Seymour Stein,
VP of Warner Bros. Records and co-founder of Sire Records, a legendary
music executive who signed acts such as The Ramones, Talking Heads and
Madonna. Stein will host a special session during which he’ll share how
he built a successful music company by making the right, and often hard,
decisions while forging a unique business acumen.

The indie sector will also join Midem 2014, with Alison Wenham,
Chairman/CEO of the Association of Independent Music & Chair of the
Worldwide Independent Network (UK), who will outline what labels are
doing to get back to growth. Ronny Krieger, Label Manager, Monkeytown Records (Germany), and Alain Verhave, Director of Marketing, Epitaph Records (Netherlands) will discuss how indie labels are reinventing fan engagement.

As part of the conference programme, Midem will welcome Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the British Phonographic Industry and the BRIT Awards (UK), and Jordan Berliant,
Partner & Head of Music Management, The Collective Music Group
(USA), in a session about the best practices for online video success
and how YouTube became the leading platform to consume, discover and
share music. Stephen Bryan, SVP, Digital Business Development, Warner Music Group (USA), and Mandar Thakur,
COO, Times Music (India), will also take part in a discussion about the
challenges of streaming music today. The Next Big Thing in Licensing
will be debated by speakers such as Mary Megan Peer, President, Asia Pacific & Strategic Markets, peermusic (USA), and Florian Drücke, Managing Director, BVMI/IFPI (Germany). Lastly, Pete Ganbarg, EVP/Head of A&R, Atlantic Records (USA), and Steven Melrose,
Co-Managing Director, Epic Records (UK), will engage in a discussion on
how to build an artist’s career from discovery to success.

Watch and follow Midem - The Series: Midem the Series reveals the experiences of three very different attendees of the Cannes-based music tradeshow.

About Midem
– Midem is an annual international b2b event dedicated to the new music
ecosystem, with a tradeshow, conferences, competitions, networking
events and live performances. It’s the place where music makers,
cutting-edge technologies, brands & talents come together to enrich
the passionate relationship between people & music, transform
audience engagement and form new business connections. www.midem.com

About Reed MIDEM
– Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional,
international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves
as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV, MIPDOC,
MIPCOM, and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries,
MIDEM for music professionals, LeWeb Paris and London for internet
forward-thinkers, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM UK and MAPIC for the property
and retail real estate sectors. www.reedmidem.com

About Reed Exhibitions
- Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organizer, with over
500 events in 41 countries. In 2012 Reed brought together seven million
active event participants from around the world generating billions of
dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas,
Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 34
fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 44 industry sectors with
trade and consumer events and is part of the Reed Elsevier Group, a
world leading provider of professional information solutions. www.reedexpo.com

Jarrefan-Brazil received a message from the first Brazilian (and South American) astronaut, Mr. Marcos Pontes.
He sent this message to Jean Michel Jarre, which is his idol.

Mr. Pontes worked at NASA for six years on a mission and flight of Soyuz
(TMA-08) Russian in 2006 to spend a week at the ISS. Currently he make
social projects in Brazil. He is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the
UN-ONU by UNIDO(www.unido.org/).

05/11/2013

Proposal Concert Jean-Michel Jarre for the inauguration of the new stadium « Stadium of lights » w Lyonie - December 8, 2015?

Grand Stade de l'Olympique Lyonnais aerial view by day

Jean - Michel Aulas, the president of the soccer club "Olympique Lyon and the Rhone," aussi known as just "Rhône", said in an interview with Lyon Magazine, the club received a proposal to make a Jean Michel Jarre concert for the inauguration of the new stadium on December 8, 2015.

We do not know if the proposal is accepted or rejected. Is possibly in early trading.

The total number of page views

Jean Michel Jarre first came to international fame with his number one hit album, « OXYGENE » which went on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide.

A pioneer in his field, Jarre has largely contributed to the fastest growing musical revolution of the 20th century, electronic music : conceiving music in terms of sounds rather than only in terms of notes, and thus allowing the composer to become his own craftsman.

Having followed formal studies of harmony and counterpoint at the Conservatoire de Paris, he was inspired to reinvent music at its core, with his own singular vision, deploying the technology and tools of his epoch.

This pioneering approach gave birth to worldwide hit albums such as "OXYGENE","EQUINOXE", MAGNETIC FIELDS", "ZOOLOOK", "RENDEZVOUS", "WAITING FOR COUSTEAU"...over 80 million albums sold to date.

Following through with his revolution in music, he also conceived a brand-new genre and format of concerts; breaking away from the traditional theatre and arena context, Jarre brought his music and vision outdoors to the masses. Often free and open-to-all, these stateof- the-art concert-spectaculars showcase the natural or urban environment in which they are performed -- a truly singular sonic and visual "land-art" event, conceived and performed on a unique scale for a one-off experience.

Jarre's legendary concerts have attracted Guinness Record-breaking audiences across the planet. They take place in exceptional settings, marking extra-ordinary contexts: first western musician invited to perform in post-Mao Red China, Millennium at the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Houston City concert in collaboration with NASA in memory of the Challenger space crew, Concert for His Holiness Pope John Paul II, France's Eiffel Tower in celebration of World Cup victory, Gdansk's shipyard at the initiative of Nobel Peace Laureate Lech Walesa, London's Docklands, Beijing's Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, the Sahara Desert...to the absolute record live audience of 3.5 million in Moscow.

Most recently, Jean Michel Jarre embarked on his first ever world tour which has already taken him to over 30 countries with over 220 performances.

July 2011, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco called upon Jean Michel Jarre to celebrate his Royal Wedding by creating and performing a concert-event in the Principality which was largely broadcast on television & Internet worldwide to an estimated audience of 3 billion.

The French musician has a dedicated ongoing engagement to the United Nations via UNESCO, as Ambassador and spokesperson for Environment and Education.